You should update your social media strategy frequently to meet the standards of ever-changing social media trends. 2019 is shaping up to be definitely an interesting one.

We gathered information from the top social media gurus across a wide range of social media platforms and we put together social media marketing guide to get you started with 2019 trends the right way!

If you want to stay ahead, go ahead do yourself a favor and read this!

Things You Should Know About Broadcasting

Social TV and vertical videos have been on a raise and they will continue to be prominent in years to come.

Instagram’s IGTV is an app for watching long-form, vertical video. While IGTV is a stand-alone app you are able to watch the videos within a regular Instagram app. Videos aren’t time-limited and they can be up to an hour long to satisfy your entrepreneur needs.

You and I, we can all be creators, you don’t need a degree in journalism to be a broadcaster. Starting your own channel hasn’t been easier.

In addition to IGTV, Facebook’s own chief product officer Chris Cox shared a chart showing that Instagram & Facebook Stories are set to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things with their friends within the next year.

With that said, The Guardian and Tictail are found that “less polished, more realistic Stories perform better than heavily edited takes filled with heavy-handed calls to action.” 

Clothing brands are using Instagram Stories and IGTV for behind-the-scenes or sneak peeks of their new collections. You should too!

Social Media Messaging: Do You Really Need it?

The rise in messaging may be closely correlated with the fact that 2018 has been represented by a crisis in social media privacy.

Many of us turned from public to private spaces. Across the board, users are spending more time on messaging apps and less time sharing news on social.

There are 6 leaders in the messaging industry – WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, QQ, Skype, and Viber.

Future is looking promising for Whatsapp as it quickly grows into a major player in the social customer service.

Not only these apps are becoming increasingly popular they continue to innovate by adding new features such as stories, news updates, and automated bots.

WhatsApp was the single most-downloaded app of 2018. According to Debbi Dougherty, Head of B2B Marketing and Communications at  Rakuten Viber, “The amount of time people spend on messaging apps has grown exponentially.” 

Brands need to recognize this shift in marketing and adapt accordingly because if you fail to do so your brand will suffer.

Social Media Shopping Is Crucial To Your Business

It’s here! As a matter of fact, social media shopping has been here for some quite a time and it doesn’t look like it will despair anytime soon. 

The rumor has it that there will be new innovations that will allow us to be superman shoppers in no time. 

For example, Instagram shoppable posts allow customers to discover your products and easily checkout without leaving the app.

Yes, it’s that fast!

According to Hootsuite, “Facebook’s Marketplace is now used in 70 countries by more than 800 million people.”

Pinterest is right there with Facebook too – with 55% (Hootsuite) of customers using the site to find and purchase products.

According to Hootsuite, by 2020, more than 85% of all customer service interactions will be powered by AI bots on Pinterest.

If Pinterest is this committed to delivering exceptional customer experience, that means it must be growing in lighting speed. 

The Secret Sauce: VIDEO

Video content will continue to dominate in 2019, 2020, and beyond.

According to an expert, Marcus Sheridan and his prediction, by 2019 80% of what we consume will be video.

Marketers who haven’t started adopting video tactics to their social media are in big trouble, in fact, Facebook has even adjusted their algorithm to ensure that video posts show up on our feed more often.

Video, in general, won’t do the justice alone, in-the-moment consumer consumption is becoming increasingly popular by large numbers.

Users no longer seek perfectly curated and edited content, they look for uncreated, raw and personalized content instead.

The Top 5’s

According to Social Media Examiner Social Media Industry Report, ”Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the top three platforms while Facebook continues to lead by a long shot.”

Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest continue to raise.

If I were you, I’d keep an eye on all three because all three can easily become an integral part of your marketing strategy.

There is one thing all three platforms have in common –  they are visual platforms.

The future is “seeing is believing” I don’t know what will.

Become Irresistible: Instagram Influencing

In between GI Instagram influencers, Instagram kids and influencer dogs the digital age is truly changing.

One can earn up to $16,000 per Instagram post with more than 1 million followers according to The Founder and CEO of a The Dog Agency for pets.

Instagram can earn you income but there is a catch, it is a full-time career.

Lexie Carbone says, “These collaborations and sponsorships have nearly replaced traditional ads and are a huge part of social media strategies today.”

As social media grows we will continue to see more sponsored posts in the future as well. According to Later.com, on average business (66% reported) pay under $250 a post.

The high-end influencers earn even more, sometimes thousands of dollars for a single post, however, there is no one size fits all rate that generally influencers make.

The better you are at marketing products the better off you’ll be.

It might be worthwhile for ecommerce entrepreneur like yourself to reinvest into your business by reaching out to popular Instagram influencers in your business and pay up for a post or two to  get your name out in the open but that’s just a thought (wink, wink.)

Keep it REAL Philosophy

Let’s face it people no longer want to see perfectly crafted Instagram squares.

Life is not perfect nor it will ever be.

People want to see the real you – show the good and the bad.

We resonate with reality.

Life is not always rainbows and butterflies and that’s okay.

How can you build an audience and still keep it real – deliver value.

Show your audience the nitty-gritty of your business.

Did you pull off all-nighter to get your new designs up or did you made a terrible mistake that cost you a lot of money? Show them the flaws!

You’ll soon find out that your audience is real too and you’ll start to see commonalities among your followers that can just as easily transform into a tight-knit community of entrepreneurs, creators and most importantly friends that will always have your back.

Don’t be afraid to show the dark side of the entrepreneur business, chances are you are talking to other hundreds of others like-minded individuals like yourself who are experiencing the same thing.